1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved shipping apparatus and method and, in particular, to an improved method and apparatus for safely shipping tape drives while they are located inside a frame of an automated tape library.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Protecting and safely handling sensitive electronic components during shipment is a challenge for electronics goods manufacturers. Shipping electronic components that are required to be mounted inside their respective end product carriers or storage devices can be especially difficult, particularly when the components are required to protrude out of their carriers under normal operating conditions. As shown in FIG. 1, one example of this type of problem is encountered with tape drives 11 that are mounted in an automated tape library frame 13 for interaction with a robotic picker (not shown).
There are typically two ways to address the safe handling and shipment of tape drives and their frames. One solution is to ship the drives and the frame separately. Although this first solution has the advantage of being better able to protect the electronics, it has several disadvantages as well. A drawback to this first solution is that when the parts are shipped separately they can get misplaced, lost, or not arrive at their destination at the same time. Another drawback is that a special shipping container must be made in order to ship the drives. Also, the installation time at the destination is increased as the drives must be put into the frame instead of the drives already being located in the frame. Furthermore, if the end user wishes to move the entire frame after the initial installation, all of the shipping containers must be present in order to do this safely. Thus, shipping the drives separately from the frame has many disadvantages which add significant cost to the product.
The other alternative solution for tape drives and their frame is to ship the drives in their normal operating position where they protrude out of the frame while packed inside a large protective cover for the drives. This solution also has several disadvantages, including that such a protective cover is expensive to build. In addition, the bulk of the weight of the drives is located outside the frame. When the frame is moved during shipping, it can tip over due to the center of gravity not being located in the center of the frame. Thus, both prior art solutions still lack the ability to ship the product safely and cost effectively. An improved method and apparatus for facilitating safe and cost effective shipment of tape drives in a frame is needed and would be desirable.